overweight, sex-and-celebrity-obsessed TV addicts.....

Former Member

The "Rough Guide to England" have got us down to a tee

Here is what the new Rough Guide to England have to say about England.

Do you agree? Couldn't overweight, sex-and-celebrity-obsessed TV addicts describe a lot of nations or is this something very English? Do you think they are right or way off the mark?

Although they did find some nice things about the England reserving a soft spot for the country's love of animals, generosity to charities, irony, its openness to refugees, thriving arts and culture and the soothing quality of BBC Radio 4.

Thoughts ?

Former Member

Yeah it could describe a lot of people all over the world. But all the nice things it says about england are a result of the people in england, so obviously we arent all fat horny couch pototoes :P

Former Member

Yes, I think their analysis was correct.

Former Member

fascinating, beautiful and culturally diverse

Oxford is "superb", Bath "unmissable" and Newcastle "vibrant

a genuine haven for refugees

a deeply conservative place"

Yet it's also a country where individuality and creativity flourish, fuelling a thriving pop culture and producing one of the most dynamic fashion, music and arts scenes to be found anywhere

Macclesfield Town against Rochdale on a wet Tuesday night in February - that's a proper football match," it enthuses

animal-loving, tea-drinking, charity donors" whose "warmth is in the humour

What they forgot to mention is that any English person who see's a glass half-full will say it's half empty. Frankly, I've lived here (with sojourns to sunny Germany and other assorted shit-holes) twenty years and I agree with this

The only certainty for visitors is that however long you spend in England and however much you see, it still won't be enough to understand the place.

Former Member

Jonny8888 wrote: »

Yeah it could describe a lot of people all over the world.

I think there's something particularly British and American (and possibly Australian) about it though. We're like America-lite. I wouldn't say sex-obsessed though. I think all countries are sex-obsessed, but they all have a different sort of obsession. I think the thing that seperates us and America from the rest of the developed world is the continuing taboos around sex and nudity, as well as the continuing attitude that any form of nudity must be sexual (and so the taboos around something as innocent as breastfeeding, or the attitude that a girl who's wearing revealing clothes must be "up for it"). As for reality TV, well I suppose we've exported a lot of that shit all round the world, but we're not the only ones. Big Brother is Dutch ffs.

Former Member

Having just returned from the states i wouldnt' say that the British culture is really anything like the american one. We have totally different values and cultural beliefs and ways of doing things. Its really only because Americans speak English that we think we are similar to them but we aren't really....

Former Member

rachie004 wrote: »

I'm not overweight or a tv addict... can leave or take celebs

sex? yes please

:yes:

Former Member

We're more like the Australians than Americans. last time I went to Oz I noticed how everyone is like us except in shiny new cities and with sun tans.

But I'd agree with the rough guide.

Former Member

Wyetry wrote: »

Having just returned from the states i wouldnt' say that the British culture is really anything like the american one. We have totally different values and cultural beliefs and ways of doing things. Its really only because Americans speak English that we think we are similar to them but we aren't really....

Well to be fair, I was only talking about these three things. Us, America and Australia are the 3 fattest countries in the world, we share a hell of a lot of shite TV, and we seem to be closer to them than Europe on issues of sex (though still somewhere between the two).

Former Member

But I wouldn't say we're similar to Europeans (and come to that how similar is German culture to Spanish culture to Polish). And there's a big difference between Utah and New Hampshire come to that.

Former Member

I'm With Stupid wrote: »

we share a hell of a lot of shite TV,

So does most of the world, and there's a very, very limited amount of any quality TV produced in most countries (and the limited amount of films we see often tend to be their best - which will sell abroad).